Posted by: Beth Snyder on: 04/06/2016 05:48 AM

Jordan Reeves was offered a chance to create her own prosthetic arm through KIDmob's and 3D software company Autodesk's Superhero Cyborgs program in San Francisco, and she designed something that just might make the other kids so jealous they'll be disappointed with their own two standard-issue arms.

The Superhero Cyborgs Program is a collaboration between KIDmob and Autodesk, designed to allow kids who are missing limbs for whatever reason to design and build their own custom-designed, 3D printed prosthetics. The idea is to let kids have fun with them while they're young, because standard prosthetic devices are extremely expensive and there's no reason to spend the money on something they're just going to grow out of in relatively short order.

Jordan decided to call her new arm Project Unicorn, and it's a fantastic creation! It's built to slip onto her left arm (which stops just above the elbow) and then instead of ending in something boring like a hand or a hook, hers ends with a multi-barrel glitter cannon. She, along with all the other kids, used Autodesk's software (Tinkercad and Fusion 360) to design and test their prototypes, and then when they were in working order they were able to print practical, 3D working models of their design.

Of course, Jordan says she'd also like something a little more practical for things like carrying groceries or using her phone, so Autodesk designer Sam Hobish is helping her create something a little more standard so she can swap out her glitter cannon for something more closely resembling a hand. Even Clark Kent had to work at the newspaper sometimes, so it only makes sense Jordan would have responsibilities in her regular, non-superhero life as well. But she'll always have that glitter cannon nearby in case she needs to ditch her daytime persona to become her superhero alter-ego!

What I love most about this entire project is the willingness of medical and design professionals to help kids realize their fantasies. I cannot imagine how hard it has to be to have a missing hand or arm, and most particularly when you're a child. It does my heart good to know there are companies willing to step up and turn what most people see as a negative into an overwhelmingly huge positive. And the grins on the faces of the kids when they first strap on a 3D printed, custom creation that was born of their own imagination is priceless.

3D Printing Gives Macaw a New Lease on Life
Is there nothing 3D printing cannot do? This macaw's beak was severely damaged, leaving it unable to eat. Through 3D printing, it was given a new beak... and a new lease on life! ...

3D Printing Makes Injections Comfortably Numb
Throughout the course of your life, you're going to end up getting any number of injections, and no matter how stoic you are they always hurt at least a little. Comfortably Numb is a new 3D printed g...

Animals Benefit From 3D Printing, Too
The medical field has benefited from 3D printing in ways that are sometimes hard to imagine, but the advances in technology are not limited to helping humans... Animals can reap the benefits as well. ...